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Home Mental health Feelings, symptoms and behaviours Feelings and symptoms
Hallucinations and hearing voices
Hallucinations are where you hear, see, smell, taste or feel things that appear to be real but only exist in your mind. Get medical help if you or someone else have hallucinations.
Types of hallucinations
You may have hallucinations if you:
hear sounds or voices that nobody else hears
see things that are not there like objects, shapes, people or lights
feel touch or movement in your body that is not real like bugs are crawling on your skin or your internal organs are moving around.
smell things that do not exist
taste things that only you feel are not pleasant or is strange
think that your body is moving like flying or floating when it is not
Causes of hallucinations
Hallucinations can be caused by many different health conditions that affect the senses.
Common causes of hallucinations include:
mental health conditions like schizophrenia or a bipolar disorder
drugs and alcohol
Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease
a change or loss of vision, such as Charles Bonnet syndrome
anxiety, depression or bereavement
side effect from medicines
after surgery and anaesthesia
Sometimes hallucinations can be temporary. They can happen if you have migraines, a high temperature or just as you wake up or fall asleep.
They can also be caused by an infection, brain tumour or confusion (delirium), especially in older people.
Urgent advice:
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:
you or someone else have hallucinations
You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.
Immediate action required:
Call 999 or go to A&E now if:
You or someone else:
want to harm yourself or someone else
hear voices telling you to harm yourself or someone else
have a seizure (fit)
suddenly become confused
are not making sense when you speak
Find your nearest A&E
Treatment for hallucinations
Treatment for hallucinations will depend on what's causing it.
For example, if you have a mental health condition like schizophrenia, you may be given therapy or medicine to help reduce your hallucinations.
A GP may recommend lifestyle changes like drinking less alcohol, not taking drugs and getting more sleep to reduce your hallucinations.
More in Feelings and symptoms
Stress
Anxiety, fear and panic
Low mood, sadness and depression
Feeling lonely
Grief after bereavement or loss
Anger
Loneliness in older people
Signs of an anxiety disorder
Hallucinations and hearing voices
Page last reviewed: 15 February 2022
Next review due: 15 February 2025
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